Exploration
by Preciousredwine
Summary: *Chapter 6 uploaded!*Harry's now a Starfleet Captain and he's brought his teenaged children along with him on the USS Explorer. The Beta Quadrant isn't the only thing they'll be Exploring. (Includes other Voyager characters)
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I am, in no way or form, associated with Star Trek. Unless, of course, you consider a fan as someone associated with the series. But you know what I'm trying to say. I am merely creating this out of my own imagination. The characters that I create belong to me and any resemblance to anyone living or dead is entirely coincidental. I may mention certain events that have happened in previous episodes of Star Trek but they're just references.  
  
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This story takes place aboard a new starship. This time, it's the USS Explorer. It has been twenty years since Voyager returned safely to Earth and Ensign Harry Kim has since been promoted and is the captain of Explorer. His first officer is Commander Anika Hansen, better known as Seven of Nine. Also aboard the ship is Icheb, the young man who was set free from a Borg collective by the crew of Voyager. He is the tactical officer. Chief Engineer is Lieutenant Naomi Wildman, who is also Icheb's girlfriend.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
It had been nearly one month since the crew of Explorer said their goodbyes to their friends and family on Earth and they had settled into the familiar routine known aboard a starship. The plan was to spend a year exploring the Beta Quadrant. Many changes had been made to the starships ever since Voyager's return to Earth. After twenty years of research, it was now possible for them to travel between quadrants without having to be stuck, just as Voyager had been.  
  
"How's everything going?" Harry asked Seven.  
  
Her Borg implants had, with the help of technology, been removed and she now looked and behaved just like any other human being. Of course, she still had the ability to retrieve and ingest information, just as she had done twenty years ago aboard Voyager. It proved to be a useful skill.  
  
Seven studied the data that she was holding. "Well, everything is working at peak efficiency. Almost everything anyway. Engineering could be a little more well-run if our tactical officer didn't make so many visits there."  
  
Harry smiled. He could tell that Seven was trying to look stern and disapproving but he knew her better than that. She was glad that Naomi and Icheb were together. Her two protégés, as she liked to call them. She liked to think that she had a hand in bringing them together, although everyone knew that she had nothing to do with it at all. In fact, she had tried to keep the apart at the beginning, thinking that their having a relationship would distract them as they were studying at the Starfleet Academy. But she was wrong. Icheb and Naomi graduated at the top of their respective classes.  
  
"Let's just hope that they don't get too distracted," Harry said with a laugh. "I don't need a warp core malfunction or to have some security protocols overlooked."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
Harry watched her as she stepped out of his office, as he liked to call it. He thought back to the time when he'd had a crush on her. It was just after they had rescued her from the Borg collective and she had been far from kind when she noticed his reactions towards her. He laughed when he thought about the time when she had practically thrown herself on him. Had he not been such a gentleman, he would have taken advantage of the situation. But he had only been young and rather inexperienced. He made a quick getaway.  
  
Many years had passed since then and he'd had his fair share of impossible crushes. His best friend, Tom Paris, who was now a world famous holo- novelist, had never failed to laugh at his bad luck in relationships. Harry's bad luck didn't end when he married a pretty young lady three years after returning to Earth. She had died while giving birth to their twin children. Harry had been torn between grief and elation following that episode. But he knew he had to remain strong for his son and daughter. They were now sixteen years of age and since he home schooled them, he had managed to get approval for them to travel with him.  
  
Sierra and Shaun looked just like their mother, Lana, save for their colouring. They took after Harry in that respect, with their dark hair and hazel eyes. Shaun was almost exactly like his godfather, Tom, interested in everything that had to do with speed. If he had his way, he would probably become a fighter pilot. Harry made a mental note to bring Shaun on his maiden flight aboard the Delta Flyer. Sierra, on the other hand, was as demure as any young lady could get, which was hard to find these days. However, she had the mental strength of her mother and that prevented the guys from taking advantage of her. Her physical strength was also an attribute and she got that from her daily ballet lessons and weekly yoga sessions in the holodeck. Needless to say, she had a beautiful body and that, coupled with her gorgeous features and brilliant mind, made her the object of affection among many a young man. Harry made a mental note to keep an eye on her. He knew how lonely single young men aboard a starship could feel. God forbid she run into someone like him!  
  
Harry set his coffee on the table and went onto the bridge. After checking that everything was in order and giving Seven command of the bridge, he decided to pay his children a visit. Looking at his watch, he knew that they would be in the holodeck, finishing up an astrometrics lesson. He waited outside the holodeck for them and true enough, five minutes later, they stepped out, followed by two other children of the crew.  
  
"Good afternoon, Captain," Vakto, the son of a Vulcan on the security team, said, when he saw Harry. Layla, the daughter of a Catarian in engineering did the same and hurriedly made her way to her room.  
  
"Dad!" Sierra and Shaun exclaimed at the same time.  
  
Sierra wrapped her arms around her father and planted a kiss on his cheek. Shaun, being a 'man', as he'd like to believe, avoided doing that at all costs, preferring instead to pat his father on the back.  
  
"What? No kiss for your father?" Harry teased.  
  
Shaun made a face and Sierra rolled her eyes.  
  
"He's too 'manly', dad," she said sarcastically. "Let me know when he actually becomes a man."  
  
Shaun glared at his sister. Despite the fact that she was the younger one by ten minutes, Sierra could easily outwit her brother, whose genius was confined to practical stuff. Harry smiled at the two of them. There had always been a friendly rivalry between them. They were a mature pair and both accepted that they were skilled in different areas. Both were fit young humans but their minds worked very differently. Sierra was absolutely brilliant when it came to academics. Shaun, on the other hand, was brilliant when it came to using his hands. In that sense, he was not very different from Harry and Tom, as they had spent many hours fixing damaged flyers aboard Voyager together. 'A typical male' was how Sierra liked to describe her brother.  
  
"I was hoping to spend some time with you while I can," Harry said, putting an arm around his children on either side of him. "How about a meal at a nice Italian restaurant in 20th century New York?"  
  
"Dad, what's the point of having an Italian meal in New York?" Sierra asked, pulling her hair back. "I think we should just go to Rome. Wouldn't that be a little more authentic?"  
  
"We'll be dining in a holodeck," Shaun said, stating the obvious. "What's so authentic in that?"  
  
"What do you want to do? Travel back in time?" Sierra countered. "Nice idea but I don't think that's going to happen. The holodeck is just about as authentic as we can get."  
  
"Sorry to interrupt your plans, Captain," a voice from behind them said. "But Naomi and I have booked this holodeck. And Ensign Paterson has booked the other one."  
  
They turned around to see Icheb and Naomi standing behind them, hand in hand. Harry smiled. It had been a while since he had spent some quality time with his children and he seriously considered assigning Icheb and Naomi extra work just so that he could have use of the holodeck. But he knew it wouldn't be fair to them. He should have planned ahead. He made a mental note to do that the next time around. How many mental notes was that? Three? In one morning? He had to start organising himself better. Being a captain was proving to be a tedious job.  
  
"That's okay," Harry told them. "You go ahead. Well, kids, looks like it's the mess hall we're headed for."  
  
Naomi laughed as Sierra made a face. It was a well-known fact that she didn't quite fancy mess hall food and was known to sneak out of her room in the middle of the night to cook her own meals. Juxlan, the Talaxian cook, was, obviously, none too pleased with her behaviour. He had made a few complaints about Sierra to her father but Harry explained that she had been a fussy eater from a young age and it had nothing to do with his cooking.  
  
"I'm making my own salad," Sierra announced as they made their way to the mess hall.  
  
"You're such a fuss pot," Shaun admonished. "You can't sneak around in the middle of the night for one whole year, you know."  
  
"Watch me," Sierra said, shooting her brother a determined look.  
  
"Oh, I will," he said, returning the look.  
  
Harry shook his head. It was going to be a task keeping them from each other's necks. But somehow, he knew that he wouldn't have to worry about them. They were growing up and maturing and he knew that they would always be there for each other when it mattered the most. With a pang of regret, he thought of how proud Lana would have been with their children. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Sierra, as expected, didn't eat much at lunchtime and ended up replicating a ham and cheese sandwich as soon as she got back to her quarters. That was sufficient to quieten her rumbling tummy for a while. After a movie and a quick nap, she made her way to the holodeck for her ballet lesson.  
  
She emerged from the holodeck two hours later, ready for a shower. She'd had a good workout and was looking forward to returning the next day to perfect the new dance. It was set to beautiful music from the Nutcracker and she had never felt so attached to a dance before. She had put her heart and soul into her dancing, even more than she usually did, and it had tired her out a fair bit.  
  
Because she was so tired, Sierra didn't notice the person in front of her. It was inevitable that she was thrown to the ground as the other person had been walking very quickly in the opposite direction. She fell to the ground with a dull thud and she was lucky that the other person had managed to keep his balance and stop himself from falling on top of her. Sierra lay on the ground in shock and a part of her was too tired to get up.  
  
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Ms Kim," the walking bulldozer said, reaching out a hand to pull her to her feet.  
  
Ms Kim? Who the hell did he think she was? Since when did anyone aboard the ship call her Ms Kim? She raised her eyes to look at him. She took a sharp breath when her hazel eyes met crystal clear blue eyes. She found it hard to breathe as she took in the rest of his features… wavy dark brown hair that was nearly black, a strong nose, strong jaw, slim lips. Involuntarily, she took a step back and saw that he was a well-built young man, probably about twenty centimetres taller than she was, making him an impressive one hundred and ninety centimetres.  
  
If he thought she was pretty, he didn't show it. What he did show, however, was concern. He quickly grabbed her elbow as she stepped back, thinking that she was about to fall again.  
  
"Are you okay, Ms Kim?"  
  
Sierra grimaced. "Please don't call me that. Nobody on this ship calls me that. Just call me Sierra."  
  
He laughed and nodded. "Are you okay, Sierra?"  
  
"I'm fine, thank you," she replied, taking in his full physique. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"  
  
"I'm Ensign Matthew O'Halloran," he replied. "I work in engineering."  
  
"Strange."  
  
"What's strange?"  
  
"I make pretty regular visits to engineering," Sierra explained. "It's funny but I've never seen you there. In fact, I didn't even know you were aboard this ship."  
  
"Well, I tend to work night shifts," he said. "I did see you once before though, when I was working a rare day shift. But you were too busy talking to Lieutenant Wildman to notice me, even if I was just fifty metres away."  
  
Sierra raised her eyebrows at the detail. She could feel the colour rising to her cheeks.  
  
"Well, I'd better get back to my quarters," she said quickly. "I'm in desperate need of a cold shower."  
  
"And I need to report to engineering," Matthew said. "I hope I'll see you around sometime. Soon." He winked at her.  
  
Sierra's eyes widened and he grinned. She froze on the spot and watched him as he walked towards engineering. As soon as he was out of sight, she leaned back against the wall and tried to catch her breath. Hurriedly, she ran to her room and took a quick shower before making her way to engineering to see Naomi.  
  
She caught Naomi just as she was stepping out of engineering. Grabbing her by the arm, Sierra pulled her to a corner.  
  
"Why are you kidnapping me?" a bewildered Naomi asked her.  
  
"How old is Ensign O'Halloran?" Sierra asked urgently. "Where's he from? Is he single? What kind of a person is he?"  
  
"Whoa, slow down there, young lady," Naomi said with a laugh. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Sierra. She smirked. "Does someone have a crush on one of my best engineers then?"  
  
"He's one of your best?"  
  
"Yes, he is," Naomi said, nodding. "He's always on time, diligent and also very smart. He graduated at the top of his class at the academy. Gained the highest marks in engineering in the academy's history."  
  
Sierra grinned. "So, he's a good guy, then?"  
  
"I guess you could say that." Naomi grinned back at Sierra. "How'd you find out about him? I didn't think you'd have met him before. I don't recall the two of you ever being in the same place together since we left Earth.  
  
"We ran into each other on Deck Two," Sierra explained. "I mean, literally ran into each other. He knocked me to the ground and had to help me up."  
  
"When did this happen?"  
  
"About half an hour ago, after my ballet lesson," she said. "I was on my way back to my room and he was on the way here. I didn't know we had such a hunk on board."  
  
"Yes, he's probably the second best looking guy on Explorer. In my opinion, anyway," Naomi said with a smile.  
  
Sierra was going to ask whom the first was but then she realised whom before the words were out of her mouth. She had to admit that Icheb was cute but he was more like an uncle to her.  
  
"So, how old is he?" Sierra asked urgently.  
  
"Twenty-one. He's fresh out of the academy."  
  
At that very moment, the topic of conversation stepped out of engineering. He was pleasantly surprised to see Naomi and Sierra standing just outside and he smiled politely at them. Sierra choked a little when she saw him but managed to recover in time to smile back.  
  
"Where are you off to, Ensign O'Halloran?" Naomi asked in a very professional tone.  
  
"Just to the mess hall to grab an apple, ma'am," he replied. "The tummy's complaining."  
  
"Be back in five minutes."  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
As soon as Matthew was out of sight Sierra let out the breath that she didn't know she'd been holding. Naomi could only laugh at the pathetic kittenish look on her young friend's face.  
  
"Good Lord, Naomi," Sierra whispered. "He's so cute."  
  
"Well, he is single and I have heard him talking about you before, so you have a chance with him."  
  
Sierra looked up sharply. "He's spoken of me before?"  
  
Naomi nodded. "I overheard him talking to Ensign Brown the other day. He mentioned that he'd seen you sneaking into the mess hall in the middle of the night. Apparently, he thought you were a ghost but then, after he managed to get a better look, he realised it was you. He does think you're pretty."  
  
Sierra beamed. Then she stopped herself. No bringing your hopes up too high, she told herself. In any case, she knew her father would probably execute any crewmember that tried to make a move on her. 


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all the reviews and the *grimaces* corrections… It's nice to know that you're enjoying the story and I hope you'll like this chapter too. Keep reading and reviewing! *muah!*  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Icheb rapped his finger on the table. He'd finished two lime sherbet floats in the past fifteen minutes and was getting a brain freeze. He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. He instinctively turned to the door each time he heard it open but each time, he was disappointed. He sighed.  
  
"Computer, locate Lieutenant Wildman."  
  
"Lieutenant Wildman is in Holodeck Two."  
  
Icheb frowned. What was Naomi doing in the holodeck? He looked at his watch. It was 1843h. She had been due to meet him in the mess hall for dinner thirteen minutes ago and it was quite unlike her to be late.  
  
He got up from his seat and was just about to make his way to Holodeck Two when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Icheb?"  
  
He turned around and saw Shaun standing behind him. The young man looked rather worried.  
  
"What's wrong, Shaun?" Icheb asked. God, he hoped Shaun would make it quick so that he could go and look for Naomi.  
  
Shaun looked around the mess hall and once he was certain that no one was listening, he leaned towards Icheb conspiratively.  
  
"I think," he whispered. "That Naomi and Sierra are up to something."  
  
Icheb wasn't surprised one bit.  
  
"They're always up to something, Shaun," Icheb said with a laugh. "The two of them are thick as thieves."  
  
"No," Shaun insisted urgently. "I saw them going into Holodeck Two and they were giggling and laughing and acting like they had something up their sleeves. They've been spending a lot of time together the past few days. Even more than usual. It's kinda freaky if you ask me."  
  
Icheb raised his eyebrows. Interesting. Turning to Shaun, he grinned.  
  
"Want to find out what it is?" he asked his young friend.  
  
Shaun grinned back at him. "Yeah!"  
  
Before they could get to Holodeck Two, Shaun and Icheb bumped into Sierra and Naomi along Deck Four. All four of them seemed shocked when they saw one another. They stopped short in their tracks and just stood there staring at each other for a while.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Shaun finally asked Sierra.  
  
"What do you mean what am I doing here?" she said indignantly. "Am I not allowed to walk around the ship? Last time I checked, I was."  
  
"You're late," Icheb said to Naomi.  
  
Naomi looked at her watch and grimaced. "Oh God, I'm sorry," she said. "I lost track of time. We were…"  
  
"In Holodeck Two," Icheb said, completing her sentence for her.  
  
Sierra and Naomi looked surprised. They looked at each other and then looked at Icheb and Shaun. How did they know?  
  
As if reading their minds, Shaun said, "I saw you two going in there just now. What were you up to?"  
  
"What are you? Spying on us?" Sierra said angrily. "What we were doing there is none of your business and even if it was, I wouldn't tell you."  
  
"Relax, Sierra," Icheb said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Shaun didn't mean any harm."  
  
"Knowing him, he was going to try and find something wrong and get me into trouble with dad," Sierra spat.  
  
Naomi knew that Sierra was being high strung because she was trying to hide her crush on Ensign O'Halloran from her brother and from Icheb. The poor girl was worried that they would find out and she'd never hear the end of it, knowing them. She also knew that they'd probably tell Ensign O'Halloran and while that might not be such a bad idea, she knew that it was the last thing that Sierra needed at that very moment.  
  
"Icheb, can I postpone our date for tomorrow?" Naomi asked, looking pleadingly at Icheb.  
  
He sighed and then he smiled.  
  
"Ok," he said. "But promise you won't be late tomorrow. We haven't really had much chance to be together lately."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry."  
  
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Then turning to Shaun, he said, "How about a game of hoverball?"  
  
Shaun was always up for a game of hoverball, so he soon forgot about why he'd come to look for Sierra and made his way to Holodeck Two with Icheb.  
  
As soon as they were out of earshot, Naomi looked at Sierra.  
  
"Paranoid, aren't we?"  
  
Sierra looked somewhat contrite and tried to keep pace with Naomi, who seemed to be picking up pace, which she was, because she was hungry and was desperate for one of Juxlan's famous Talaxian pies. He'd told her that he'd be making that for dinner.  
  
"You know, the stranger you act and the more you try to hide it, the more likely they're going to find out," Naomi said, looking back at Sierra. "They'll be desperate to find out more. Guys are like that. It's like playing hard to get. If you really want a guy, you play hard to get and he'd be more intrigued and more desperate to get to know you. Same goes for sex. The more they can't get it, the more they want it."  
  
Sierra's eyes widened.  
  
"Speaking from experience, huh?" she teased Naomi.  
  
Naomi laughed.  
  
"A lady never kisses and tells," she told Sierra.  
  
"I'll take that as a resounding yes," Sierra said, clapping her hands.  
  
They stepped into the mess hall and Naomi ordered a pie. Juxlan didn't bother asking Sierra what she wanted because he knew that he'd only be greeted by a sour face.  
  
"I'm surprised you didn't bring your own food, Sierra," Juxlan said when he saw her enter the mess hall.  
  
"Oh shush, Juxlan," Sierra said irritably.  
  
"Excuse her, Juxlan," Naomi said, apologising for Sierra. "Someone's a little high strung today."  
  
Juxlan simply laughed. A very jovial laugh as usual. He wasn't too different from Neelix in that sense. Maybe it was a Talaxian trait.  
  
Sierra and Naomi settled at the table farthest from the door. It was their favourite table and they almost always sat there.  
  
"Why don't you just tell him?" Naomi whispered.  
  
They had taken to speaking in whispers because Matthew wasn't sitting too far away from them. Sierra looked absolutely horrified. She looked up from her glass of orange juice and sneaked a glance in his direction. He happened to look up at that point in time and she quickly pretended to be studying her drink again.  
  
Naomi turned around and saw Matthew staring at Sierra. When he noticed her looking, she could swear she saw him blush and avert his gaze. Inwardly, she grinned to herself. She was going to have a lot of fun with them… 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
"Engineering to Sierra Kim."  
  
Sierra frowned and put down her book. Getting of the couch, she stretched. What could Engineering want with her? Last time she tried to get in there, Naomi had practically chased her out with a faser.  
  
"Sierra here."  
  
"Sierra, we need you here."  
  
"Um… ok."  
  
She did a bit more stretching and attempted to make her way to Engineering. But she stopped short in front of her door. She frowned again. Why wasn't the damned thing opening? She took a step back and attempted to get out again. No effect. She took a deep breath and sighed. For something like this to be happening at… what time was it? She looked at her watch. Right. 0730 hours. It was going to be a bad day. She knew that.  
  
"Computer, check my damned door."  
  
"Please be polite."  
  
Sierra cursed under her breath. What the hell was going on? Since when did the computer expect the crew to be polite? Bizarre. Absolutely bizarre. Ok, she could get through this.  
  
"Computer, would you please check my door?" She rolled her eyes.  
  
"There is nothing wrong with your door."  
  
"Fuck."  
  
"Watch your language, young lady!"  
  
Sierra jumped. Did the computer just reprimand her? Even her father didn't complain when she used foul language every once in a while. And, knowing him, he'd be saying much more than just 'fuck' if he were in the same situation.  
  
"Sierra Kim to Naomi Wildman."  
  
"What is it, Sierra?"  
  
"I'm stuck in my room. My door won't open and the computer is acting up on me. It just told me to be polite to it and it scolded me for using the four- letter word," she complained in one breath. Then she wailed, "I want to get out of here!"  
  
"Whoa, calm down there, Sierra," Naomi said soothingly. "Now, you stay right where you are and I'll send a team over to check it out."  
  
"Trust me when I say I'm not going anywhere," Sierra said blandly, looking around her room, wondering if there was some foreign creature living in her computer system.  
  
Just then, the lights started flickering. Sierra looked up sharply. On. Off. On. Off.  
  
"Shit."  
  
"What did I tell you about watching your language, young lady?"  
  
"Oh for fuck's sake! Just leave me alone!" Sierra yelled, kicking over a potted plant and making a right mess on the carpet.  
  
"Your behaviour will not be tolerated."  
  
Sierra heard the sound of the tap being switched on and running to the bathroom, she screamed when she saw what was coming out from the tap. It was red. She inched her way towards the sink, fearful of what she might discover. She touched a trembling finger to the liquid. Bringing it to her nose, she sniffed at it. She heaved a sigh of relief. Just coloured water. She took a step back and screamed when something blocked her path. She screamed even louder when she felt strong arms around her.  
  
"Good Lord, Sierra," she heard a familiar voice say. "Relax. It's just me."  
  
Sierra turned around tentatively. She came face to chest with an orange brown suit. That was a good sign. A member of the crew. Her eyes travelled upwards and she saw his face. She screamed again and stepped back, only to be stopped by the sink. Ouch. That really hurt her butt.  
  
"Am I that hideous?" he asked with a laugh. However, she could tell that he looked rather worried too. "Are you ok?"  
  
She nodded. Why did Naomi have to send him? She was going to have a word with Naomi about embarrassing her later.  
  
"Are you the only one here?" she asked as soon as she recovered her nerves.  
  
"No," he replied. "There are some other people from engineering checking out your quarters. Looks like a major computer malfunction."  
  
"No shit."  
  
"Please watch your language."  
  
Sierra flipped the computer the bird. "Oh fuck off. Fucking annoying piece of equipment."  
  
He raised his eyebrows. She suddenly remembered that he was there and she clapped a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Oops. Sorry."  
  
He just laughed. "It's okay. I like girls with spunk." He winked at her."  
  
Sierra stared at him. Did he just say that? Did he just wink at her? What the hell? Ensign O'Halloran was bloody flirting with her.  
  
"D-did you j-just…" Dammit. She cursed at her tongue in her mind. "Damned tongue."  
  
"Excuse me?" Matthew was looking at her in a very strange manner.  
  
Did she say that out loud? She ran a hand quickly through her hair. It was then that she realised how close they were standing to each other. Good Lord. He looked so good up close. She closed her eyes and shook her head vigorously. Snap out of this, Sierra, she told herself. Are you trying to get him into trouble with your father?  
  
She opened her eyes and looked at him. It seemed like he'd moved closer. His face was less than an inch from her. She could practically feel his breath against her skin. Oh God.  
  
"Matt… I mean, Ensign… I mean, Matthew… I mean Ensign O'Halloran…" She bit her tongue lightly, trying to get it to work. Or maybe it was her brain that was failing her. Did he have to stand so close to her?  
  
"Sierra, I think you're a little shaken up." His voice was barely above a whisper, low and throaty. Definitely very sensual. What was he trying to pull?  
  
"Yes, I think I am," she managed, avoiding his eyes. "And I think you're standing too close to me."  
  
"Is that what you think?" he asked, looking straight at her.  
  
Sierra nodded, still not daring to look him in the eye. She found herself inching to the side, hoping to find a way out of the bathroom. But it was a tiny bathroom, with an even tinier door and he was standing right in front of it.  
  
She heard Matthew sigh and saw him take a step back. She released the breath that she didn't know she'd been holding.  
  
"Tell you what," he began. "You've had a bit of a shock. We'd better get you to sick bay and let the doctor check you out."  
  
"I don't want to go to sick bay," Sierra said firmly.  
  
"You don't have a choice."  
  
She glared at him. He simply raised an eyebrow. God, that was enough to make her go weak in the knees. Good thing she was leaning against the sink.  
  
"Please, I don't want to go to sick bay," she pleaded. "I'll be okay. I swear."  
  
Matthew looked at her for a few more seconds. She just looked at her own hands, twirling her thumbs. She heard him sigh again.  
  
"You're very persuasive," he said with a laugh. "Ok, you don't have to go to sick bay but you can't stay here while they're doing the repairs. Would you like to go to Engineering?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess that would be ok. I was headed there before this place ruined my plans," Sierra replied.  
  
He reached out a hand to help her out of the bathroom and instinctively, she jerked her arm back. She looked up at him. Was that hurt she saw? Or confusion? She grimaced.  
  
"Why are you so afraid of me?" he asked her.  
  
"I-I…"  
  
He shook his head and held out his hand to silence her.  
  
"No, it's ok. It was a dumb question. I shouldn't be asking you such things," he said resignedly. "Come one, we'd better get to Engineering. I think Naomi needs your help. There a little warp core imbalance or something like that. She says that your genius could prove useful at a time like this." 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Matthew and Sierra didn't make it to Engineering. They were two decks above it when a massive jolt threw them across the corridor and sent Sierra crashing against the wall. She would have easily been knocked out if Matthew hadn't been there to break her fall a little. Two seconds later, the ship was on red alert.  
  
"O'Halloran to Engineering, what's happening?"  
  
"We're under attack, Ensign," Naomi said urgently. "Where are you? Where is Sierra?"  
  
"I'm on Deck Four with her," he replied, holding on to Sierra, who was having trouble standing up due to shock and continuous weapons fire rocking the ship.  
  
"Bring her to a safe place and stay with her," Naomi instructed. "Put a force field around the area that you are. We need her to be safe. We can't afford for the enemy to get their hands on her."  
  
Matthew furrowed his brow. What would the enemy want with her?  
  
"Who's attacking us?" he asked as he finally decided to carry Sierra in his arms. She had been hit by falling debris and was far from ok.  
  
"We don't know who it is," Naomi replied.  
  
He decided that he had to leave Naomi alone to deal with the problem. His sole aim at that very moment was to get Sierra someplace safe. Another jolt rocked the ship and he only just managed to shift his weight so that Sierra wouldn't be slammed against the wall. His back landed against a wall with a dull thud and he didn't moved for a while as the pain slowly subsided.  
  
Matthew looked at her. Her head wound was starting to bleed. He was carrying her against the flow of crewman, who were all rushing to their stations, wielding weapons. It had to be a very dangerous situation. Hell, he was barely a month into his first posting and he was about to go to war.  
  
He stumbled into Holodeck One and erected a force field around it. He tried but failed to activate programme Doctor, which would have provided Sierra with much needed medical attention. She had since lost consciousness and was mumbling incoherently as she lay on the floor. Matthew racked his brain, trying to recall one of his early first aid lessons. He ripped his uniform and pressed the cloth to her head, hoping to stop the blood flow.  
  
Then, as suddenly as it had all started, it stopped.  
  
"Where are we?" he heard Sierra ask weakly.  
  
"Holodeck One," he replied, pulling her into a seating position. "How you feeling?"  
  
"My head hurts."  
  
"That's because something fell on you," he told her. "But it's just a surface wound, so it's nothing to worry about. I think."  
  
Sierra tried to get up but her sudden movement made her feel faint and she found herself stumbling into Matthew's arms.  
  
"Whoa," he said. "You shouldn't even be trying to move like that."  
  
She looked at him. His face was so close to hers. Again.  
  
"Matthew."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
They looked at each other for a long while.  
  
"I…"  
  
"Sh… don't say anything," he whispered, touching a finger to her lips.  
  
Then he was leaning closer towards her.  
  
Oh God, he's going to kiss me.  
  
Instinctively, she closed her eyes.  
  
A sudden noise made her open her eyes and she winced in pain as Matthew jumped away from her, causing her to hit the ground with a dull thud. He stared at her horrified and then quickly went to pick her up again.  
  
"Oh Christ, I'm so sorry," he apologised.  
  
"It's ok," she said, biting her lower lip.  
  
"Are you two ok?"  
  
It was Shaun and Icheb wasn't far behind him with a few more security personnel.  
  
"Sierra needs to see the doctor," Matthew said.  
  
Almost immediately after he completed his sentence, Matthew found himself holding on to nothingness as Sierra was beamed to sickbay.  
  
"Did you hurt yourself?" Shaun asked him.  
  
"Um… no, I don't think so."  
  
"Not for long," Shaun said cryptically.  
  
"Excuse…"  
  
Matthew didn't get a chance to complete his sentence this time around. He had no idea how it had happened but Shaun had leapt across the space between them and had his hands round Matthew's neck.  
  
"You asshole!" Shaun yelled. "What the hell were you trying to do to my sister huh? You're half naked and she's only half awake. I'll get my dad to kick you off this damn ship and leave you stranded in the Beta Quadrant!"  
  
Icheb quickly went in to intervene as Matthew tried to push Shaun away from him. A part of him wanted to beat up the kid and he could easily have done that, considering he was five years older and much bigger too. But he didn't want to risk hurting him in the heat of the moment.  
  
Icheb pulled a kicking and shouting Shaun away from Matthew, who quickly stood up and dusted himself off. Rubbing his neck and wincing.  
  
"Calm down, Shaun Harry Kim!" Icheb scolded, slapping him.  
  
The shock of getting slapped by Icheb made Shaun stop moving.  
  
"Did you just slap me?" he asked.  
  
"Yes I did," Icheb said. "Because you were being irrational. What were you thinking? Jumping on Ensign O'Halloran like that?"  
  
"He tried to take advantage of my sister!" Shaun whined.  
  
"He brought your sister to safety," Icheb explained patiently.  
  
"Like hell he did," Shaun spat, glaring at the half naked Ensign. "Look at him! He's half naked! And did you see the way he was looking at her just now? And the way he was holding her?"  
  
"I'm pretty sure the Ensign has a very good explanation for all that," Icheb said. "Don't you, Ensign?"  
  
"Yes, I do, sir," Matthew said, glaring back at Shaun. "I went to Sierra's room with a team from Engineering to fix the computer. We then made our way to Engineering but we came under attack before we could get there. Lieutenant Wildman told me to bring Sierra to safety. But as we tried to find a safe place to hide, she got hit by falling debris. She was bleeding. We managed to get in here and I tore off some of my uniform to try to stop the bleeding."  
  
Shaun sniffed and looked away.  
  
"See? A perfectly sound explanation," Icheb said, releasing his grip on Shaun. "Now, are you going to accept it or do you want me to send you to the doctor to get you checked for trauma, which could explain why you're being such a pain in the behind?"  
  
Shaun turned to glare at Icheb and then stormed off. Icheb smiled at Matthew.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Matthew," he said. "He's only sixteen."  
  
"Yeah." Matthew was lost in thought.  
  
"And so is his sister," Icheb said. "You do remember that don't you?"  
  
Matthew looked at Icheb in surprise.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I'm just telling you," Icheb said with a laugh. "I saw the way you looked at her just now. I'm saying, go for it but be careful. You know who her father is. One wrong move and it might just destroy your whole Starfleet career."  
  
"Um, yeah, ok," Matthew mumbled. "I don't know what you're talking about but I'll keep that in mind."  
  
With that, he too was out of the Holodeck, leaving Icheb behind to shake his head at the young ones. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
"Where's my daughter?" Harry said as he stepped into sickbay.  
  
There had been a number of casualties following the attack, so it was hard to see where Sierra was.  
  
"I'm here, dad," Sierra called out from her bed.  
  
The Doctor had bandaged her head wound and she was just ordered to rest a while before returning to her quarters.  
  
"Oh, thank God you're ok," Harry said, wrapping his arms around her.  
  
His mother had questioned his decision to bring the kids along, what with all the dangers of space travel and the likes. He couldn't imagine what she would have said if Sierra had been badly hurt or, God forbid, killed. Hell, he didn't know what he would do if he lost his daughter. He'd already lost his wife. He didn't think he could cope with losing the only other woman in his life.  
  
Sierra laughed.  
  
"Dad, it's just a little head wound," she said. "And if you squeeze me any tighter, you might suffocate me."  
  
Harry laughed and let go of her.  
  
"Don't worry, Captain," the Doctor said. "She's going to be fine."  
  
Despite their differences while working on Voyager, Harry and the Doctor were now firm friends. In fact, the Doctor was Sierra's godfather.  
  
"Doctor, can I go back to my quarters now?" Sierra asked. "I want to write a letter to Miral. She'll probably want to hear about my first 'war'. She raised her fingers to display quotation marks and rolled her eyes.  
  
Harry and the Doctor laughed.  
  
"Yes, you may," the Doctor said. "But remember, you come straight back here if…"  
  
"… I feel any giddiness or nausea," Sierra said and sighed. "I know."  
  
"Very good. Now get out of my sickbay."  
  
Sierra put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Oh, now you're chasing me out, are you?" she said haughtily. "Fine. I'll leave."  
  
And with that, she stepped out of the sickbay dramatically.  
  
Harry laughed.  
  
"That's my daughter, the drama queen."  
  
"She's a good girl, Harry," the Doctor said, putting a hand on his Captain's shoulder. "You've done a good job with her and with Shaun. Lana would've been proud."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
  
  
Sierra stepped into her quarters and let out a little gasp of surprise when she saw Matthew sitting on her couch.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"I came in to make some final repairs on your computer," he explained, showing her the pad that he'd brought in with him, which had the readings on them. "I decided to stick around to give you a little surprise when you got back from sick bay."  
  
"Well, it worked," she said with a smile. "Would you like a drink?"  
  
"Yeah, that would be nice," he said. "I've finished my shift anyway."  
  
"You should be sleeping," she said, walking to the replicator. "You've had a long day. What do you want to drink?"  
  
"Orange juice please. And I'm not that tired. Besides, I thought you and I could spend a bit of time together."  
  
Sierra thanked her lucky stars that her back was to him because she could feel the blood rushing up to her face. She got the computer to replicate two glasses of orange juice and brought them to the table. She sat down on the other end of the couch and tucked her leg underneath herself, turning to face Matthew.  
  
"I haven't thanked you," she said softly.  
  
Matthew looked up from his drink.  
  
"For?"  
  
"For looking after me so well just now and for protecting me."  
  
"Oh, that." Matthew smiled. "I was just following orders."  
  
"Orders, huh?"  
  
Sierra raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips.  
  
"So, if you hadn't been given orders, you would have just left me to fend for myself?"  
  
Matthew laughed.  
  
"Ok, you got me there," he said. "No, I wouldn't have."  
  
"Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"You know, before Icheb and Shaun came in." She paused to put down her drink and saw Matthew looking at her, waiting for her to carry on. "Were you going to kiss me?"  
  
Sierra half expected him to splutter and choke on his juice but he just put down his drink calmly and smiled at her.  
  
"That's for me to know and for you to find out," he said, raising an eyebrow at her.  
  
Her eyes widened when she saw him inching his way closer towards her.  
  
"But there's one thing that you can find out right now," he whispered, his face barely inches from hers.  
  
"A-and what would that b-be?" she managed as breathing got difficult.  
  
"Whether I will kiss you or not."  
  
"What if I don't want you to kiss me?"  
  
"Do you want me to kiss you, Sierra?" Matthew asked.  
  
She didn't reply and he didn't wait for her to. He saw her eyes flutter closed and he moved in to kiss her, his tongue delving into her mouth and meeting hers. He felt her arms go around his neck and slowly began to wrap his arms around her waist. Their kiss became more intense and suddenly, Sierra realised what she was doing.  
  
She broke away from him.  
  
"We shouldn't be doing this," she whispered, running a finger along his jaw line.  
  
"Really?" he asked, pulling back and leaning against the couch.  
  
He pulled her towards him and she rested her head against his chest, hearing his heart beat as he stroked her hair gently.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"True. I could think of a couple of reasons why too," Matthew said.  
  
Sierra looked up at him.  
  
"Two reasons?" She furrowed her brow. "I can only think of one."  
  
"Would that reason happen to be your father?"  
  
She laughed and nodded.  
  
"What's the second reason, though," she asked him.  
  
He leaned down to kiss her forehead.  
  
"Your brother."  
  
Sierra sat up sharply.  
  
"My brother?" she exclaimed. "What would my brother have to do with us?"  
  
Matthew chuckled and pulled her back down where she belonged. He continued to stroke her hair and rested his cheek against the top of her head.  
  
"Well, let's just say that he wasn't too pleased with me after you left for sickbay," Matthew explained. "He jumped at my throat and threatened to kill me if I tried anything with you."  
  
"Oh God, that doofus," Sierra groaned, rolling her eyes. "I'll tell him to stay out of my business. He's always trying to protect me."  
  
"Well, if you were my sister, I'd want to protect you too," he said. "And I'd probably have a hard time fighting off all the guys."  
  
Sierra giggled. The she sat up against and looked at Matthew earnestly.  
  
"Does this mean we're, like, together?" she asked.  
  
"Do I have to ask permission from your dad first?"  
  
"Personally, I don't think you should," she said honestly. "But I guess you should because he is your captain and blah blah blah." She waved her arm about. "I hate being the daughter of a Starfleet captain. And the goddaughter of a Starfleet Doctor and two Starfleet Admirals."  
  
"Two Starfleet Admirals?" Matthew said, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Yeah, Admiral Kathryn Janeway and Admiral Chakotay. I've got two godfathers."  
  
Matthew gave a low whistle.  
  
"I'm afraid to date you now," he said jokingly.  
  
Sierra looked at him horrifically.  
  
"Don't you dare, Matthew O'Halloran!" she exclaimed.  
  
They looked at each other and laughed.  
  
"Besides," she said as she snuggled back into his arms. "You're stuck with me now."  
  
"And I couldn't think of someone I'd much rather be stuck with." 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Matthew paused tentatively at the door to Harry's quarters. He raised his hand to ring the doorbell but let it fall to his side again. He sighed and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.  
  
"Matthew James O'Halloran, you can do this," he muttered to himself.  
  
"What are you doing there, jerk?"  
  
Matthew spun round. Ah, he should have known. Shaun Harry Kim. First class overprotective brother or asshole numero uno.  
  
"I'm going to speak to the captain," Matthew replied.  
  
"Looks to me like you're just standing there talking to yourself," Shaun said with a smirk on his face.  
  
Matthew clenched his fists, resisting the urge to punch the smug bastard and break his pretty little nose.  
  
"I won't deny that I was doing that but your father tends to do that to people," he said without missing a beat. "It's scary talking to him because he commands so much respect."  
  
Shaun glared at Matthew. He shot the younger guy a look that challenged him to reply. But Shaun just turned on his heels and walked off, leaving Matthew smirking behind his back.  
  
After watching Shaun disappear round the corner, Matthew turned his attention to the task at hand. Just as he was about to ring the doorbell, he felt arms around his waist and suddenly, there was someone leaning against him from behind.  
  
He turned around with a smile. He noticed passing crew people look at him and Sierra in surprise but chose to ignore them.  
  
Matthew wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace and lifted her a few inches off the ground as he kissed her.  
  
"Hey, gorgeous," he whispered against her lips before letting go of her.  
  
"You're painful on the eye either," Sierra replied with a wink. "What in the world are you doing out here?"  
  
"Walking the plank," Matthew deadpanned with a grimace.  
  
Sierra giggled.  
  
"You're going to talk to my dad, huh?"  
  
Matthew nodded.  
  
"Do you need my moral support?" Sierra asked.  
  
Matthew looked at her gratefully and smiled when she took his hand in hers and rang the doorbell.  
  
"Come in."  
  
The door opened and Harry looked up.  
  
"Hey sweetheart…" he trailed off and wore a look of pleasant surprise on his face when he saw Matthew. "And Ensign O'Halloran."  
  
Harry noticed Matthew's awkwardness and somehow, in the last minute or so, a feeling of fear had crept up inside of Sierra and she, too, looked a little scared.  
  
Harry's eyes trailed downwards and that was when he noticed that they were holding hands. He frowned.  
  
"Dad, we've got something to tell you," Sierra said tentatively.  
  
Quickly, Matthew cut her off.  
  
"Actually, Captain," he said hastily. "I wanted to ask your permission for something but Sierra beat me to it. I think."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I see," he said, looking at them over his reading glasses. "Sit down."  
  
Sierra and Matthew sat down beside each other on the couch opposite Harry and he looked at them expectantly. When neither of them looked likely to say anything in the near future, he put his book down.  
  
"And what was that you wanted to ask me, Matthew?"  
  
Matthew swallowed hard. He'd never so much as spoken one sentence to the captain since they left Earth and now, he was trying to ask for permission to date his daughter. His 16-year-old daughter at that.  
  
"Dad, Matthew…"  
  
Harry held a hand up to stop his daughter mid-sentence.  
  
"I'd like to hear it from Matthew himself, Sierra," he said.  
  
Sierra's and Matthew's eyes widened when they saw Harry smirk.  
  
"Besides," Harry added with a soft laugh. "I would think that anyone brave enough to date my daughter behind my back would have the guts to ask me for permission to do so."  
  
Matthew let out the breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. He turned and saw Sierra struggling to hold back her laughter.  
  
"Oh goodness!" she exclaimed. "The look on your face!"  
  
Harry laughed and placed a hand on Matthew's shoulder.  
  
"Sierra spoke to me about you this morning and she told me everything," Harry admitted. "If you really have to know, I approve. I just hope you won't neglect your duties."  
  
Matthew stared blankly at his captain for a while before the words really sank in.  
  
Then he burst into a wide grin.  
  
"No, sir, you can rest assured that I won't," he said.  
  
"And I hope you won't break my daughter's heart," Harry said sternly. "I'll break your neck. And I'm not joking about that."  
  
"Dad!" Sierra cried in mock anger.  
  
Matthew put his arm around Sierra.  
  
"Don't you worry, sir, I'll treat her good."  
  
As soon as they stepped out of Harry's quarters, Sierra knew that Matthew was going to get back at her for putting him through the torture of talking to her father, so she decided to make a quick getaway and ran off down the corridor.  
  
"Sierra Lana Kim, you get back here!" Matthew called out, chasing after her.  
  
Bemused crew persons gaped at them as they ran by. Matthew was gaining on her and Sierra knew that it was only a matter of time before she was in his arm again. But she wanted to make it to the holodeck first.  
  
Sierra stopped suddenly in front of the control panel to Holodeck Two. In fact, it was so sudden that Matthew hadn't anticipated it and he ran past her before having to back track. Sierra laughed to herself and let out a squeal when his arms came around her.  
  
Even as he buried his face in her neck, she keyed in some commands into the panel and the doors opened.  
  
Reluctantly, she pulled away from his embrace and took his hand. Wordlessly, she led him into the holodeck and as soon as the door closed, Matthew saw that they were in a farmland. There was green grass all around and in the distance, he could see the snow-topped mountains.  
  
He let out a low whistle.  
  
"Where are we?" he asked, as his eyes took in the beautiful sight in front of him.  
  
"It's what I've called Mattra Land, or Matthew and Sierra Land," Sierra explained, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head on his shoulder. "I created it myself."  
  
"It's beautiful," he said, before kissing the top of her head. "Just like you."  
  
And he turned her to face him. He looked deep into her eyes and leaned closer towards her. Her arms went round his neck and his own around her waist and just as their lips met, the sweet strains of Tchaikovsky started playing in the background. 


End file.
